Basic Leadership Principles
Colonel Royal Mortenson
Colonel United States Marie Corps
1. Be a good person, a person of character and strength, and you will always be a good
firefighter.
2. Never be afraid to take a moral or ethical stand on something you believe in your gut
to be right. Stand up and be counted.
3. Someone has to lead, in the absence of authority---take Charge.
4. “Band of brothers” is not just a line from Shakespeare’s Henry the V. We are a “Band
of brothers,” so, like a brother, never turn your back on a fellow firefighter.
5. Always strive to be tactically and technically proficient in all you do. The price of
anything less is far too costly. Our environment is uncertain and lethal. Never let it be
said that you lost a man or a woman because you failed to do your homework.
6. I will listen to and help any person, anytime. I expect my subordinate leaders to do
the same; however, every member of our team must reach out and grab the “offered
hand.”
7. Everything I do must prepare myself and my team for mission success and survival.
Our enemies must understand that they have but two choices---“make peace or die.”
8. Take care of our families. Stress at home tears at the fiber of our organization.
9. I will hold myself accountable for all I do and don’t do. I will hold others accountable
for their actions commensurate with their position and responsibilities at every level.
10. Don’t lie, steal or cheat.
11. Never accept hazing, racism or otherwise cruel, demeaning behavior, it is the
hallmark of the ignorant and the unprofessional.
12. Mistakes of omission will not be accepted. If you act and make a mistake because
you lacked accurate information but you did your best---all can be fixed. If your mistake
is bedded in a failure to try---all will be painful.